Cotton-harvester



(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 1.

G. N. TODD. COTTON HARVESTER.

Patented Peb. 9, 1892.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. G `N TODD COTTON HARVESTER.

Pau-,wm Feb. 9, 1892.

4 Sheets-Sheet .3.

(No Model.)

G.N.T0D D. COTTON HARVESTER.

Patented Peb. 9, 1892.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4. G. N. TODD. COTTON HARVESTER.

`(No Model.)

No. 468,373. Patented Peb. 9, 1892.

I LILILH.. r

mc mums varias cu., mow-uma., mwmucn, n, c.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE N. rlODD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COTTON-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,373, dated February9, 1892.

Application tiled September 17,1889. Serial No. 324,176. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE N. TODD, a citizen of the United States, and aresidentof Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Harvesters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cotton-harvesters in which thepicker-stems are caused to have simultaneously an individual axialrotation and a bodily travel about two or more axes or centers ofrevoluion.

The prime object of this invention is to irnpart to said picker-stems sooperated an axial rotation faster than their bodily travel about theaxis of their support.

Another object is to have the picker-stems journaled in ahorizontally-traveling apron and actuated in such manner as to have anindividual axial rotation faster than their bodily travel with saidapron and faster than is possible where the picker-stems depend solelyupon the travel of the apron for their axial rotation.

A further object is to have each of the slats of the apron constitute anoil-chamber for automatically and continuously oiling the bearings ofall of the picker-stems journaled therein.

A still further object is to have the frame of the machine, upon whichthe traveling apron is supported, adjustable in such Inanner that theapron may be bodily adjusted vertically while in a horizontal position,or the ends thereof may be independently adjusted, so as to cause theapron to operate in an inclined position. These objects are attained bythe devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lrepresents a side elevation of a cotton-harvester embodying` myinvention, showing the near drive-wheel removed; Fig. 2, a similar viewtaken from the opposite side of the machine; Fig. 3, a cent-rallongitudinal section through the machine; Fig. l-, a transverse verticalsection thereof on the line 4: et of Fig. 3; Fig. 5, an enlargeddetailed section through one end of the apron and its operatingmechanism, taken on the same line as Fig. 4; Fig. G, an enlarged sideelevation of the apron-frame with parts broken away to more clearlydisclose the construction and relative location of the ap ron-operatingmechanism, and Fig. 7 an enlarged detailed section through one of theapron-slats and the picker-stein bearing therein. i

Similar letters and numerals of reference indicate the same parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

The general features of construction and operation of thisjmachine aresimilar to those of another application filed by me of even dateherewith, Serial No. 324,1 7 5, the main feature of difference being theconstruction and operation of the cotton-picking devices, and for thatreason need onlyhave a general mention herein.

Referring by letters and figures to the accompanying drawings, Aindicates the body or mainframe of my machine, constituting acotton-receptacle and supported at its forward end upon a crank-axle B,as in my aforesaid case, upon the crank ends C of which axle are mountedthe main ground or drive wheels D, by means of which power is impartedto the operating mechanism of my machine.

A vertical adjustment of the forward end of the machine, as in theaforementioned application, is obtained by means of a gearwheel E,mounted upon the ends of the main portion of the crank-axle, but securedto the angular portions thereof and meshing with worms F, secured to thelower end of vertical shafts G, journaled in suitable brackets at eachside of the machine, which shafts are provided with beveled gears Il onthe upper ends thereof, and are caused to rotate simultaneously by meansof a horizontal crankshaft I, upon the ends of which are fixed beveledgears J, meshing with the gears I-I upon the said shaft, one of which isextended above said gears and provided with a crank-handle K forimparting a rotary motion thereto. rlhus whenever the worms are operatedthrough said handle the main body portion of the crank-axle, andconsequently the forward end of the frame of the machine, will be causedto swing about the axis of the crank portions of the axle-bearing in thehub of the drive-wheel, it being understood that the crank portion ofthe axle normally lies in the same horizontal plane with the bodyportion thereof and that any movement of the body IOD portion must causethe frame of the machine to move vertically on the are of a circle to-Ward or away from the ground. The rear end of the machine is supportedupon casterwheels L, which, however, are not vertically movableindependent of the frame of the machine, as in the aforesaidapplication; but they are vertically adjustable with relation to thebody of the machine by means of vthe standard M thereof, having asliding connection with a guide N, secured to the end wall of the frame,with which standard a vertical rod O has a screw-threadconnection,working through an eye P upon the frame, but prevented fromhaving endwise or longitudinal movement through said eye by means ofcollars Q thereon above and below the eye, permitting a free rotationthereofthrough the crank-handle R, which causes the standard to slidevertically, and thus permit of a vertical adjustment of the framerelative to the ground. By this vertically-adjustable support of the twoends of the frame of the machine tlie latter may be adjusted bodily andvertically relative to the ground while in a horizontal position, oreither end thereof may be adjusted independent of the other, so' as tocause the frame to stand in an inclined position, without in the leastinterfering with the operation of the cotton picking and cleaningdevices supported thereon.

The picker-stem support in this machine is an endlesshoriZontally-traveling apron consisting of a series of tubular slats S,preferably square in cross-section and connected together by means oflinks T, extending from the ends thereof in each direction, the links ofadjacent slats having a pivotal connection with each other. These slatsare operated by and travel about the axis of two pairs ofsprocket-Wheels U, one pairof which is keyed upon a hollowr shaft V,sleeved upon the main portion of the crank-axle, While the other pair isloosely journaled upon a cross-shaft WV, bearing at its endsin thesidewallsof the frame of the machine, about the center of length thereof,and in a horizontal plane with the normal position of the crank-axle, arotary motion being imparted to said hollow shaft or sleeve bysubstantially the same mechanism as is employed for operating the drumof my aforesaid application, consisting of a sprocketwheel a, keyed uponthe sleeve at one end thereof and driven by a sprocket-chain h, workingover another sprocket-wheel c, loosely mounted upon a sleeve d upon across-shaft e at the top of the machine, between which sleeve and wheelthere is a spring-actuated clutch-coupling f, of the usual constructionof such devices. This sleeve is driven by a sprocket-wheel g upon theouter end thereof, around which and around a correspondingsprocket-wheel h upon an axle extension of the main body of thecrank-axle works a sprocket-chain t', the sprocket-wheel h having acog-Wheel j cast with or rigidly secured thereto, with which meshes anintermediate spur-gear 7s, driven by a cog-wheel Z, secured to the hubof one of the ground-wheels.

Within the links T of the apron is loosely journaled a short shaft fm,provided with an axle-socket on the inner end thereof, into whichprojects a stud-bearing n from the tubular slat, said shaft being inturn supported upon a roller o, located outside of the links and thesprocket-Wheels U, rotating freely upon said shaft and traveling in agroove or guideway formed on the inner face of oblong plates 1J, whichhave an outline corresponding to thetravel of the apron-that is to say,they are straight along their upper and lower surfaces, and formed onthe arc of a circle struck from the axis of the sleeve V and shaft YV,so that when thelinks are actuated through the medium of the sprocket-Wheel U the apron, the slats of which are individually supported at eachend upon the roller o, will be caused to traverse `its orbit.y In eachof the slats and projecting at a right angle from the outer face thereofis arranged a longitudinal series of picker-stems q, the picking-surfaceof which may be of any desirable construction' and the journals r ofwhich work in suitable bearings s, extending throughthe oilchamber ofthe slat and screwed at its ends into the inner and outer walls of theslat, the said bearing being provided with oil passages or ducts t,leading from the oil-chamber tothe internal bearingsurface thereof, sothat the journals of the picker-stems will be continuously andautomatically lubricated. the journal of each of the picker-stems is sercured a pinion u, meshing With a corresponding beveled gear t1, fixedupon a line-shaft w, underlying and traveling With'the slat, beingjournaled in depending brackets or bearings a; at the center and eachend of the slat and having one of the gears fu for each picker-stem. Theline-shaft w is driven by means of a cog-wheel y on one end thereof,meshing with a corresponding cog-wheel e', cast with or rigidly mountedupon the inner end of the short shaft m, upon the outer end of which,beyond the roller o, is rigidly secured a drive cog-Wheel 1, engagingand operated by an oblong cog-rack 2, formed upon the oblong guide-plate1),.parallel with the tracks upon which the rollers 0 travel, so thatwhen the apron is caused to travel a 1'0- tary motion at a high rate ofspeed will be imparted to the picker-stems through the medium of thegearing intermediate said stems and the stationary rack and at aspeedfaster than the bodily travel of the pickerstems with the apron or thanis possible to attain where the picker-stem gears are directly actuatedby the oblong cog-racks and depend solely upon the travel with the apronfor their speed of rotation.

For the purpose of preventing the cotton from interfering with theoperating mechanism I provide interlocking shields 3, projectinglaterally from each side of the slats, with To the inner end of l IIOthe ends overlapping, so that the surface of the apron as a whole ispractically continuous.

The mechanism for removing the gathered cotton from the pickerstern-thatis, the cleaner device-is identical in construction and operation withthat of the aforesaid application, and consists of a series of disks orhubs 5, secured upon a rotatablehollow shaft 6, sleeved upon a tie-rod7, from each of which disks project a series of radial arms 8, theopposing surfaces of which are covered with bristles 9 and betweeneachpair of which the picker-stems aro passed in series during their travel.A rotary motion is imparted to said shaft by means of a cog-wheel l0,secured to one end thereof and meshing with another cog-wheel 1l,mounted upon the inner end of a short horizontal shaft 12, to the outerend of which is secured a pinion i3, driven by a larger cog-wheel 14,:rigidly mounted upon a sleeve l5 on the end of the cross-shaft e,between which sleeve and shaft there is an ordinary clutch-coupling 16for controlling the operation thereof. The shaft e is driven by aduplication of the gearing employed for driving, the hollow drive-shaftof the picking mechanism, and the corresponding parts are lettered inthe drawings g', h', thj, k', and l', the operation of which has beenalready described.

llaving described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1sAM l. In a cotton-harvester, the combination, with anendless apron consisting of a series of tubular slats constitutingoil-chambers and linked together, of a series of picker-stems journaledin each of said slats, the bearings of which are connected with andconstantly oiled from said chamber, substantially as described.

2. In a cotton-harvester, the combination, with an endless travelingapron composed of a series of tubular slats constituting oil-chambersand linked together, of a series of pickerstems and a correspondingseries of bearings therefor in each of said slats in which the journalsof said stems work, said bearings projecting through the oil-chamber andhaving a communicating passage leading to the bearingsurfacethereof,substantiallyasdescribed.

8. In a cotton-harvester, the combination, with a series of tubularpicker-stem supports, a link connection therebetween, said tubesconstituting oil-chambers, a series of rotatable picker-stems bearing inand projecting through said tubular support, a line-shaft journaled uponand lying parallel with each of said supports, and a gear connectionbetween said shaft and the series of pickerstems, of mechanism fortraveling said supports about two or more centers and means for rotatingsaid line-shaft, substantially as described.

4. In a cotton-harvester, the combination, with a series of picker-stemsupports, a link connection therebetween, a series of rotatablepicker-stems bearing in and projecting through said supports, aline-shaft journaled upon and lying parallel with each of said supports,and a gear connection between said shafts and the series of stems, ofguide-plates opposing the ends of said supports, having guidewaystherein, a cog-rack formed on one of said guide-plates, rollers upon theends of said supports working in the guideways, and a gear connectionbetween said cog-rack and each of the line-shafts, substantially asdescribed.

5.In a cotton-harvester, the combination, with a series of picker-stemsupports having a link connection therebetween and provided withpivoting-studs on the ends thereof, means for traveling said supportsabout two or more axes, short shafts provided with axial sockets forreception of said stud, gear-wheels upon each end of said shafts, and astationary oblong cog-rack engaged by and driving one of said gears, ofa guidewayparallel with said racks, supporting-rollers loosely journaledon said shafts and traveling in said guideways, a series of picker-stemsjournaled in and projecting through each of said supports, alineshaftjournaled upon and lying parallel with each of said supports, and a gearupon the endof said shafts meshing with the gear upon the inner end ofthe short shaft,substantially as described.

GEORGE N. TODD. Witnesses:

R. C. OMOHUNDRO, W. R. OMoHUNDRo.

